![the-narwhal-orchestra:
Year of the Dragon - [1] by ~xCrea](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2bjde9KF61r7vkpho1_500.jpg)
wow, not only is there shit and urates everywhere, they gave a live rat to the snake. What a winner.
Stuff like this is why I had to stop browsing the “snake” tag on tumblr.
Let’s count how many things are wrong with this picture:
1. That tank is fucking nasty, holy hell.
2. Snake is being fed in said filthy tank.
3. Live rat. Because that couldn’t possibly go wrong (gore warning).
4. Live rat let unattended with snake long enough for this to happen. If you simply have to feed your snake live prey, do not leave it unattended, ever. Safely REMOVE the prey if it is not eaten under your supervision.
5. Live prey being fed in the same tank the snake is kept in. Recipe for disaster. This increases the chances of missed or bad strikes exponentially, gives the prey hiding places, increases the likelihood of getting bitten when you put your hand in the tank (because now the snake will associate moving things in its space with food), and could result in your snake injuring itself trying to get at the prey.
6. Prolongs unnecessary suffering for the rat. This rat might look “peaceful” but ultimately, the rat is stuck in a tank with something that wants to eat it, and will fight for its life if it gets the chance.
7. No seriously, this is really dangerous for the snake. It would only take one major chomp on that ball’s head to kill it, I’m not kidding.
8. Even if you think you are prepared to intervene should something go awry, there’s actually very little you can do once something goes wrong. You are not as quick as a rodent, and they have surprisingly powerful jaws that can easily bite right into muscle. Just one bite could lead to infection, blindness, scarring, or even death. Go to any reptile forum, people have dozens of horror stories to share about live feeding gone wrong.
This isn’t cute. This is the epitome of not cute, and an excellent example of irresponsible snake ownership. Whoever took this picture should be ashamed, g’damn.
It’s not difficult or expensive to buy feeder rats that were raised and euthanized humanely. It will save you money, it’s safer for the snake, safer for you, and cuts out the part where you pin a terrified animal up against your pet. Even if you cannot attain frozen mice from a petstore or supplier, it’s still safer to freeze and thaw yourself before feeding. It’s also very possible to switch from live TO frozen, and I personally believe should be attempted no matter how picky you think your snake is.
Ringed pythons are awesome! As juviniles they have this brilliant orange and black contrast, and as adults the orange fades to an earthy gold-brown and their scales gain an iridescent shine.
biomedicalephemera: Skeletons of Toad, Frog, Fish, Snake, and Chameleon
Das thierleben in Schönbrunn, 1904.
